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TVXQ! Fan (and OH User) Meets Her Idols Backstage in LA

Teru

By Teru
in Celebrity News & Gossip

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Teru Legend

Teru

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Our very own OH member katdiva is a dedicated mama fan of TVXQ, and is the admin of international fanclub We Are T! She recently had the good fortune to meet Yunho and Changmin at the Korean Times Music Festival in LA, and I've decided to crosspost her story here as I think it's really lovely and uplifting!

 

Background info: earlier this year, katdiva was interviewed by the Korean Herald ("K-pop fan overcomes breast cancer with positive energy") and the article was eventually seen by staff at SM. one thing led to another...

 

tvxq.jpg?w=600

 

Meeting Yunho & Changmin: Providing Me Strength to Fight On!
 
“Start at the beginning†seems like great advice, except when the beginning goes back 9 years, and you only have a short amount of time to tell a story, it makes better sense to fast forward to the present. “TVXQ makes your dreams come true!†This is not just a saying, it’s absolutely true!
 
My personal story of my love for KPOP, and specifically my adoration of TVXQ was shared in the middle of March 2015 while I was in Osaka, Japan attending TVXQ’s WITH 2015 tour. The Korean Herald writer emailed me and sent me links and PDF copies of both Korean and English versions (See Korean version here and the Eng version here) and I remember sitting on my bed in my hotel room and crying with gratitude, at her words in the email. I was stunned even more at her final words, “SM Entertainment actually reached out to us saying that they enjoyed the article as well and will make sure Yunho and Changmin see it, and are thankful to have such a fan like you!!â€
 
You can imagine my overwhelming excitement and joy when I read two days later that TVXQ will be performing at Korean Music Festival 2015 in Los Angeles in May! My HOMETOWN! I was still in Japan, with no way to get anyone to purchase tickets for me (it was 2:00AM LA time), and so there I was at Osaka Kyocera Dome, prior to the concert at the food court at Aeon Mall with a few friends when I madly searched for the ticket website at KoreaTimes and purchased the last Garden Box available. (Tickets for KMF go on sale in February before the line up is ever revealed).
 
The turn of events afterwards was full of blessings, which put things into motion that changed my life by having the best, most heart warming experiences with TVXQ’s Yunho and Changmin I could have ever imagined!
 
In the next few days I had several people who had read my story that offer me their Pool tickets, which truly warmed my heart with gratitude! I was able to procure a 2nd row seat, up next to the stage in Section B, best seat I’ve ever had in my 5 years of attending KMF!
 
Our international fan club (We Are T) has many members that I have the pleasure of representing, and we got into gear immediately upon my return back from Japan, ordering 800 red LED heart necklaces and making 1500 “WE ⤠TVXQ†banners for their KMF 2015 appearance!
We had a very strong feeling that TVXQ would be arriving at LAX on April 30th, and it was confirmed with all of the airport photos taken at Incheon for their departure from Korea. My daughter, her BFF and I headed down to LAX armed with 25-30 banners to pass out to fans waiting to greet them.
 
We waited for two hours after their plane landed, wondering which door they would come out of, not suspecting they’d pick the main door, but as soon as EXID, a girl group, came out, we figured they’d come out the same way! And sure enough, they did!
 
They were immediately surrounded by fans in an area that is already crowded with international arrivals. I walked ahead of the crowd and waited for them patiently at the door of their bus, across the street. It was a good decision, because the police stopped most of the fans from crossing the street. Yunho and Changmin approached, and I had my battered “TVXQ†uchiwa that I made back in 2011, a banner and was able to greet them as they walked right in front of me to board the bus.
 
Yunho sat down in the second seat behind the driver, still clearly visible from the bus door, and stretched his neck upwards to peek out the opposite window to see the fans holding up the “WE ⤠TVXQ†banners!
 
a03-fan.jpg
 
The next day photos were posted on Weibo of their arrival at the hotel, and since it is such an iconic building, I immediately recognized their hotel in downtown LA. I debated, should I or shouldn’t I try and get a room at the hotel for a chance moment of catching a glimpse of them. Part of me was torn, is it too much like stalking? I knew I would be meeting a fellow fan to carpool to the venue, and she was driving all the way up from Orange County, so meeting me at the hotel would actually save her about 30-45 minutes of having to come to my house. I checked the extremely reasonable rate on Hotels.com, and the decision was made! Quickly packed a bag and headed downtown in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic.
 
I arrived at the hotel about 5:50pm, checked in and rolled my luggage over to the elevators, with my purse, a bag of the necklaces and banners, and a gift bag. I struggled getting in the elevator, placed my suitcase by the panel, when two others rushed in before the doors closed. My room was on the 3rd floor, so I had already pressed 3, when I looked up after a man pressed a much higher number, and gasped, “OHMYGOD!†It was an SM Manager, with Yunho Jung standing right next to him! I said “OHMYGOD†about 3 times, and then became completely incoherent, babbling quickly, “Anneyaseho!!!! Konichiwa!!!! HELLO!!!!†(Face palm)! “I’m a super big fan of yours, I really LOVE TVXQ!!!†Yunho smiled broadly and nodded, “Thank you.†Within a nanosecond it seemed, I arrived on the 3rd floor (WHY DIDN’T I PRESS A HIGHER NUMBER DANGGIT)! I extended a gift bag that had a bottle of wine and some cards and letters written by some of my dear international friends from WE ARE T. “OH, this gift is for you!†The manager immediately said “No†and stuck his arm out, blocking me from handing it to Yunho. I think Yunho must’ve seen my crestfallen face because he said softly to the manager, “Gwaenchana.†At that, the manager extended his hand and accepted the meager gift of wine and letters and the elevator doors closed, and I screamed… “OHMYGODDDDD!†to the air! Why wasn’t anyone there with me!? I almost collapsed right there and then… but I quickly rushed to my room, throwing my bags down and called my daughter and screamed, “I JUST MET YUNHO!!!!!†I was delirious. I recalled his smiling face, his nod, and “Thank you.†(IN ENGLISH)!
 
I knew right then that it was an EXCELLENT, BRILLIANT idea to check in at the hotel! It took me several minutes to calm down before I could unpack and head back down to the lobby. I found two girls from Mexico, TVXQ fans, and we started chatting as I waited for a few other friends I knew would be coming later. Within minutes, both Yunho and Changmin came back down to the lobby, walked directly in front of us, and headed out to rehearsal. There were only a few fans (less than a dozen) so many got excellent photos. Then about 90 minutes later they both returned to the hotel, and we got to see them stride across the lobby. The fans once again jumped up to run to the elevators with them, but I didn’t follow them, I felt happy just watching them from a short distance.
 
It was now about 9:00pm and my friends had arrived, and I greeted them with necklaces for the concert, and didn’t have enough. So I told my BE friend, “Wait right here, I will be right back!†I walked up to the elevators, pushed the UP button and glanced at which elevator was coming fastest and went over and stood in front of it.
 
When it opened, I saw a grey sweat shirt with a large D&E on the chest, and looked up and BAM!!! There before my eyes within reaching distance was CHANGMIN SHIM!!! And right next to him was Yunho!!! I was frozen, ROOTED to my spot, and could only say, “OH MY GODDDD†x 3 again! Changmin grinned and stepped around me and they rushed off. I stood there, flabberghasted. Should I run after them like everyone else? Should I go up for the necklace? Should I faint? (Hindsight: I think Changmin thinks all I can ever say is “OHMYGOD,†because I said the same thing on the TVXQ Anniversary train ride when he came out of the Loo!
 
I turned and noticed my friend was no longer there either, so I calmly crossed the lobby to see the boys waiting in an alcove, for the valet to bring their SUV. The fans were trying to snap photos but the manager yelled, “NO PICTURES!†So I didn’t even try. Yunho was wearing a sleeveless black hoodie (different from the Justo shirt) he had earlier. I watched the manager put his arm on Yunho to guide him to the SUV. I then turned around and went back up for the forgotten necklace!
 
They had left for dinner, and I had just seen them a total of 5 times, coming back and forth, so I decided I was done for the night… how can it get any better than this?
 
The following day I didn’t bother to haunt the lobby because my heart was already full. Afterall, I had seen them at an arm’s reach, and got to see their smiles! So I packed my bags, and called the front desk for an extended check out. I took a quick nap since I knew I would be up late, and I stayed up late with excitement the previous night. After packing and a 30 min catnap, I headed back down to the lobby. I walked up to the front desk with a second gift bag of the same wine I had given Yunho. (Note: Two years ago when TVXQ came to LA for Catch Me Live Tour, I met their Director down by the baggage claim and gave her a gift bag of wine, a “Last King†snapback for Yunho and bracelets for Changmin. A few days later I was informed that Changmin loved the wine, and I read that he even bought more to take back with him to Korea!) I asked the hotel front desk if I could leave a bottle of wine for Changmin Shim. Since I was also a guest, she let me leave the bag of wine with her, along with a snapback cap for Yunho from one of his fans.
 
I then settled into the lobby, opened my suitcase, and took out my battered uchiwa and started to desect it, performing an uchiwa facelift to remove the old LED lights and put in new ones. My phones were in my purse so I didn’t hear my friend trying to call me or text me! Just as I finished fixing the fan, I held it up and switched on the lights to test it, when I heard the commotion by the elevators, and out comes Mr. Shim Changmin, casually strolling right by us, with his manager, heading out to the venue! I raised up my uchiwa, blinking brightly “TVXQ,†and Changmin glanced at it and nodded.
 
Within a few minutes later, my friend from OC arrived, and I told her she had just missed Changmin! But on the upside, she did get to catch Yunho leaving from another exit! I offered the girls from Mexico a ride to the venue, along with my friend, and while we awaited for the valet to bring my car around, I said I had to run to the restroom. The girls were asking each other, “How will we know which car is hers?†but they had no problem identifying it as the car pulled up to the entrance with the “TVXQFAN†California license plates!
 
Once at the venue we had no problem finding parking, and walked up through all the vendor booths to stand next to the Korean Air booth to meet other volunteers who had offered to pass out the necklaces and the banners. Although we wanted to concentrate on the Pool and Garden boxes, so many other fans wanted them too, so we divided up the work and thanks to the efforts of those volunteers, we were able to distribute all 1500 banners and 800 necklaces! (Quick shout out to those that donated time and money to our project! You really helped take the load off of me)!
 
Now comes the difficult part to explain … I guess the easiest way to describe it is the miracle that resulted from friendship and blessings. I have been blessed to meet some amazing Korean friends here in LA, all amazing, kind-hearted, and strong upstanding community members. Without going into too much detail, my story that was published in the Korean Herald was shared, phone calls were made, emails were sent, and ultimately I had a strong impression (but no gaurantee) that I would be invited back stage to meet TVXQ’s Yunho and Changmin!
 
As I shared the TwitCast Live of KMF 2015 for those fans that could not attend, I recieved a phone call just before intermission, asking me if I could come outside to the popcorn stand. That’s when I knew the impossible was about to become a reality. My heart started pounding, and I wished I could grab my daughters and take them with me so they could share the experience, but I knew that there was only one invitation. I quickly dug through my purse and pulled out another THANK YOU card that I had written to Yunho and Changmin (just in case). What do you say to Yunho & Changmin if you have the chance? My mind was reeling!
 
I stood there in my red TVXQ T1ST0RY tshirt, holding my TVXQ uchiwa, red lightsticks, and my 10 Year Anniversary hat from Time Slip! Yes, there was NO way of missing me! I was approached by a very handsome young man, who introduced himself to me and handed me a back stage necklace. My heart pounded like crazy! OMG! OMG! OMG! I was really about to meet Yunho and Changmin face to face and talk to them again… just one on one… not part of fan sign this time, not part of a fan event… just me and them. OMG!! I started trembling.
 
I can’t remember everything I said to the young Director, but I remember thanking him for the opportunity and telling him how much this meant to me. He knew I was about to undergo another surgery and he wished me well.
 
We walked up stairs, caught an elevator, passed by many guards, and then he led to to a chair in the hallway of the dressing rooms. It was such a busy area, with artists walking back and forth. My hands were trembling and I was about to burst into tears! I put the 10 yr Anniversary hat on and asked the Director, “What do you think? Too much?†And he kindly smiled and said, “Well why don’t we try it without at first?â€
 
Then he left to go get the boys. The wait seemed like an eternity when in fact it was probably less than 30-45 seconds! Yunho was the first to emerge, wearing his sleeveless sweatshirt along side his manager (the one that had yelled, No Pictures!) and he locked eyes with me immediately and I stood up on shaky legs as he approached. I first noticed how beautiful his face was, with his make up and eyeliner. His hair was combed back and he looked devastingly handsome, his strong arms on display with his sleeveless hoodie! He bowed and extended his hand and I took it in both of mine, and shook it tightly. I was squealing to myself inside, praying I wouldn’t make a fool of myself.
 
I’ll try to recall all of the conversation, but honestly, it was like a dream! I recall looking up at Yunho, looking into his eyes directly, “I love you and TVXQ, I’ve traveled to Japan 8 times and to Korea 6 times to see TVXQ in concert and fan meets.†I handed Yunho the THANK YOU card I had written earlier in the hotel, along with a few notes from some friends. I told him, “You’re a powerful performer!†Yunho smiled and said softly in English, “Thank you.â€
 
Just then Changmin rounded the corner. He smiled brightly and my knees almost buckled underneath me. He extended his hand and took my right hand in both of his as he shook it. I didn’t want to let go!
 
Changmin then took his place right next to Yunho, with their shoulders touching, equally as tall, as I looked up at him. He also was in full make up, wearing white sleeveless tshirt, showing off his beautiful arms and biceps, matching Yunho’s bare arms!
 
I greeted Changmin and told him as well, “I truly cherish TVXQ! You have helped me in my darkest moments,†and as I spoke the director translated for me. But I don’t think Changmin needed the translation, because before the director finished, Changmin said, “I know,†(in English) and smiled.
 
I told them that there are hundreds of thousands of fans who’s hearts they touch, just like me, who they change lives because of their artistry. I turned to Changmin and said, “Thank you for staying by Yunho’s side. Thank you for protecting TVXQ along side Yunho. Please continue to protect TVXQ!†He said, “Yes, I will.†Then I turned to Yunho and said, “Thank you for protecting TVXQ and protecting Changmin. I know you will enlist soon, but all of your fans will wait for you because we love you. Please remember our love when you’re in the military!†His soft, “Thank you†again in English melted my heart.
 
The manager then asked if I wanted to have a photo, and I handed him my iPhone, and with Yunho and Changmin on either side of me leaning into me, I smiled with every ounce of happiness and sheer joy I was feeling and he snapped two in case one didn’t come out well.
 
I remembered the wine I left at the front desk of the hotel and I told Changmin, “I left you another bottle of wine at the hotel under your name, so please look for it.†His smile reached his eyes and he said, “Thank you.â€
 
Before I knew it, five minutes with them had passed, and it was time to go back. I looked at Yunho and he smiled sweetly at me and told me, “Please take care of your health.†I nodded as tears formed in my eyes, and turned to Changmin, he said, “Please have a safe surgergy,†(both said this in perfect English)! That’s when I knew they had read my story and had been informed that I was going back into surgery (my 4th so far). I told them I feel like I am mother to them, their Hawaiian Mama, so of course I will get better. I looked at Yunho and then quickly at the director and motioned to him with my arms if it was ok to hug? And before I got an answer, Yunho wrapped me in a gentle but warm bear hug! I buried my face in his shoulder and neck and breathed deeply. I know it sounds crazy, but I wanted to remember what he smelled like … I wanted to remember how strong he felt. This young Korean leader who had undergone so much tribulation and challenges, rising to the top, by his own efforts and talent … this was Jung Yunho whom embraced me!
 
I then turned to Changmin and he also gave me a hug, but it was entirely different! It was a sweet, polite, church hug that you give each other, making sure that only the shoulders touch, with a soft rub on the back. No chance to smell him! It was almost as if Changmin treated me like I would break if he gave me a real hug, but I completely understand him.
 
As I turned to walk away, I called out to them, “ALOHA!†and they both said “Aloha!†and waved back to me!
 
As the director walked me back to the public area, he asked me, “Do you have a favorite?†I told him honestly, “I just love them both so much! I always thought Changmin was my favorite, but whenever I go to see them in concert, I can only see Yunho. Yunho’s leadership and perseverance are unmatched, along with his mastery on stage. Changmin is beautiful and his voice is precious, I can listen to him sing all day and night… I guess I would be hard pressed to say I have a favorite because honestly, they both have changed my life equally.â€
 
I floated back to my Pool seat and sat down. I pulled my phone close to me, and took a deep breath before opening up the photo album and gazing into the two photos, with Yunho on my right and Changmin on my left. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I gave thanks to God, and my many blessings that made this happen.
 
I quickly sent a copy to my daughters who were in the box seats behind me and shared my joy with them. I then got a text from the director asking for me not to share the photos on SNS, which I can completely understand.
 
I knew that the surgery I had to undergo on the 5th of May would be fine, because my heart was full of positive joy. I knew that this experience would last me for a lifetime, and when times are tough and challenging, I can draw on strength from them. In sharing this story, I also hope other fans can do the same, just knowing how precious our Yunho and Changmin are to their fans, we are equally as important to them!
 
The second half of the concert flew by, and all I could think about was my experience backstage. Until I saw Yunho on the side of the stage, preparing to wrap up the concert! I had been TwitCasting so when TVXQ took the stage, I screamed at the top of my lungs, singing along, fan chanting, and waving my blinking uchiwa and lightsticks. Since I was literally right up next to the stage, and wearing that silly 10 year Anniversary hat, both Yunho and Changmin saw me, and I caught several glances, smirks, a wink, and smiles. They were performing for everyone, for the entire Hollywood Bowl, but I felt like they were just for me… because we made eye contact. I wanted them to know their biggest US fan was right here next to them, and would remain by their side forever!
 
source: We Are T!

 

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Ninz Idol

Ninz

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What a touching and beautiful story.....She really deserved it, she is such the ultimate TVXQ fan and TVXQ's Hawaiian Mama. :)

 

Every fan really whats to have that kind of idol and fan interaction.

 

Good health for you Katdiva.

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Ariya Global Superstar

Ariya

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she deserved it and happy for her. :rlytearpls:

good luck for the surgery :smile:

 

one big question, is she the one Kat-diva on tumblr? I never get the answer even after years :._.:

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M A M A Global Superstar

M A M A

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The turn of events afterwards was full of blessings, which put things into motion that changed my life by having the best, most heart warming experiences with TVXQ’s Yunho and Changmin I could have ever imagined!

 

 

When it opened, I saw a grey sweat shirt with a large D&E on the chest, and looked up and BAM!!! There before my eyes within reaching distance was CHANGMIN SHIM!!! And right next to him was Yunho!!! I was frozen, ROOTED to my spot, and could only say, “OH MY GODDDD†x 3 again! Changmin grinned and stepped around me and they rushed off. I stood there, flabberghasted. Should I run after them like everyone else? Should I go up for the necklace? Should I faint? (Hindsight: I think Changmin thinks all I can ever say is “OHMYGOD,†because I said the same thing on the TVXQ Anniversary train ride when he came out of the Loo!

 

 

I’ll try to recall all of the conversation, but honestly, it was like a dream!

 

I knew that the surgery I had to undergo on the 5th of May would be fine, because my heart was full of positive joy. I knew that this experience would last me for a lifetime, and when times are tough and challenging, I can draw on strength from them. In sharing this story, I also hope other fans can do the same, just knowing how precious our Yunho and Changmin are to their fans, we are equally as important to them!

 

 

:cry:

 

:cry:

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